New Shakespeare First Day Covers

New set of 10 stamps produced by Royal Mail in line with the 400th Anniversary of the Death of William Shakespeare.

By Sue Knox

2016 marks the 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare. Shakespeare was a playwright, actor and English poet and is widely regarded as one of the greatest writers we have ever known.

To commemorate one of the greatest playwrights ever Royal Mail will be releasing 10 new stamps which each feature a quote from some of his most famous plays and sonnets.

BC539 – Our first cover features a famous painting of Ophelia by Millais and is postmarked in London SE1 (where the Globe Theatre is situated).

BC539A – our second cover features a painting of The Awakening of Adonis by John William Waterhouse and has a Stratford Upon Avon postmark (Shakespeare’s birth place).

In 2016 the British Council will mount a global campaign representing William Shakespeare as the ultimate icon of British culture, while there are also plans in place to make April 23rd the Official ‘National Shakespeare Day.’ As you probably already know, Shakespeare was both born (unconfirmed) and died on April 23rd.

There is a lot of celebrations planned to mark the anniversary, including short film versions of all 37 of his plays which will be shown on giant screens. Each ten minute film will be screened along a two-mile stretch of the River Thames in London on 23rd-24th April this year. Additional locations include Shylock in Venice’s Jewish Ghetto, Romeo and Juliet in Verona, Henry VIII and Wolsey at Hampton Court and King Lear and Cordelia on Dover Beach.